Veiled in Bloom

Michael Reid Northern Beaches is delighted to present our first solo exhibition from Boorloo/Perth-based Australian/Filipina multidisciplinary artist Sherry Quiambao, who arrives at our Newport gallery with a suite of bold and brilliant photographs from her series Veiled in Bloom.

First capturing the attention of our curatorial team after a glowing endorsement from fellow photographer Petrina Hicks – one of the country’s most acclaimed contemporary artists and a major star in our flagship Eora/Sydney gallery’s stable – Quiambao’s work recasts ordinary and emblematic objects in playfully constructed tableaux that delve into the intersections of cultural identity, consumerism and belonging.

“My cultural identity is central to my practice,” says Quiambao, who has exhibited widely since completing her Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture at Curtin University, including at Perth Centre for Photography, the Australian Embassy in the US and at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery as part of last month’s Perth Festival. “This sense of being ‘in-between’ – never fully belonging here nor there – resonates in my work, where objects and their relationships suggest longing, resilience and reconnection.”

Exploring tensions between aspiration and humility, care and disposability, tradition and modernity, works from Quiambao’s Veiled in Bloom series present bright, sky-blue backdrops as a poppy foil for mundane and reimagined objects: flower vases made from fast-food packaging, pearls draped over plastic containers, and pencils puncturing a cluster of fruit. “These works examine how societal pressures and material culture shape our identities, with objects serving as conduits for reflection,” says the artist, whose vibrant update on the photographic still-life cleverly subverts the slick visual language of advertising to muse on materialism’s effects.

“I love experimenting with assemblage and composition, trying to create arrangements that feel both intentional and a little bit whimsical,” says Quiambao. “I find a lot of inspiration in old homewares magazines and ads from the 1980s and 90s – it’s nostalgic, but there’s also something so captivating about the styling.”

All works from Veiled in Bloom by Sherry Quiambao are now available to explore and acquire online and have arrived at the gallery as the artist gears up for her upcoming PICA-supported BREEZE residency in Makassar, Indonesia.

To discuss works from the series and secure an edition, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au